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Boston Celtics (15-26) at Golden State Warriors (35-6 )
Sunday, January 25, 2015
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #42, Road Game #20
TV: CSN-NE, CSN-Bay, NBA-LP 761(DTV), 757/758(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, KNBR 680
Oracle Arena
PG: Evan Turner
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Jared Sullinger
Celtics Reserves
Phil Pressey
Tyler Zeller
Gerald Wallace
Marcus Thornton
Tayshaun Prince
Shavlik Randolph
James Young
InjuriesKelly Olynyk (ankle) out
Marcus Smart (death in family) out
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Probable Starters 
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Draymond Green
C: Andrew Bogut
Warriors ReservesLeandro Barbosa
Justin Holiday
Andre Iguodala
Ognjen Kuzmic
David Lee
Shaun Livingston
James McAdoo
Brandon Rush
Marreese Speights
Injuries Festus Ezeli (ankle) out
Head CoachSteve Kerr
Game Notes The Celtics road trip gets tougher as they visit the first place Golden State Warriors, who are an impressive 20-1 at home. The Celtics, on the other hand, are just 6-13 on the road. Last season the Warriors won the season series for the first time since 2006-07.
The Celtics have 199 total wins over the Warriors and are hoping to notch #200 in this game.
The Warriors have won 14 of the last 18 games vs the Celtics at Oracle Arena. They are 23-1 with this current starting lineup. They have won their last 4 games while the Celtics have a more modest 2 game winning streak.
The Celtics have won their last two games since Brandon Bass was inserted into the starting lineup and so I imagine that Brad Stevens will keep the starters the same for this one. Kelly Olynyk went back to Boston for tests on his sprained ankle, otherwise everyone should be available to play. For the Warriors, they are healthy other than Festus Ezeli, who is expected to be out.
Key Matchups 
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Evan Turner vs Stephen Curry
The Warriors have perhaps the best back court in the league. Stephen Curry is playing very well and will be a tough cover for the Celtics. Curry is averaging 23.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 2.10 steals. He is shooting 50.1% from the field and 40.2% from beyond the arc. Slowing him down will be key.
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Avery Bradley vs Klay Thompson
The other half of the Warriors talented back court is coming off of a record setting performance in the Warriors last game vs the Kings. He finished the game with 52 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals and scored 37 points in the 3rd quarter alone. He was 13-13 from the field, including 9-9 from beyond the arc. He is averaging 21.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.26 steals. He is shooting 47.2% from the field and 44.3% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game Defense - The Warriors can put up points quickly and in bunches. It will be important for the Celtics to bring their defensive intensity into this game, especially to shut down the Warriors' fast breaks. The Celtics must especially guard the perimeter as the Warriors are very dangerous beyond the arc. The Warriors are tops in the league in scoring, averaging 111.1 points per game. They are also 12th best on defense allowing just 99.0 points per game. The Celtics must play swarming team defense if they hope to get a win here.
Rebound - The Celtics need to crash the boards to keep the Warriors from igniting their fast breaks. The Celtics also need to rebound to give themselves second chance points and limit the second chance points for the Warriors. The Warriors are a very good rebounding team, pulling down 44.8 rebounds per game, good for 8th in the league. The Celtics need to up their effort on the boards in order to win the rebounding battle.
Take Care of the Ball - The Warriors can be very disruptive by getting into the passing lanes. The Celtics seem to go through periods in every game where they turn over the ball several times in a row. The Celtics need to stay focused and not give the Warriors any easy opportunities to steal the ball or to get out on the break. The Warriors are 4th in the league in getting steals and if the Celtics get sloppy with the ball, the Warriors will make them pay.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to come out focused and play hard from start to finish. The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team throughout the game. They must be aggressive on defense, on the boards, in chasing down loose balls, and in taking the ball to the hoop and not settling for jumpers. Their effort was good vs the Blazers and Nuggets and they need to up their intensity even more to get a win in this game.
X-Factors Focus and Fatigue The Celtics need to come out focused and keep their focus thoughout the game. They can only hope that the Warriors will let their focus waiver a bit and underestimate them. Also, the Celtics are playing in their 3rd game in 4 nights on the road. Fatigue may be a factor down the stretch.
Topic: Celtics (15-26) at Warriors (35-6) Game #42 1/25/15 (Read 35432 times)